Deep Fried Turkey – Cajun Style, Cooked by John

 

Fifteen years ago, when I would tell people I planned to deep-fry a turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas, I’d get a stare as if I had two heads! 

Today, I still get a lot of stares, but I also get some “Really?  I’ve heard about that.  How do you do it?” or “Doesn’t that make the turkey very greasy?”

Well, the turkey is anything but greasy; the deep-frying process seals the outside and the turkey remains incredibly juicy, while the skin gets wonderfully crispy.

Here’s how I do it.

Let me start by saying that frying a turkey is not the safest of cooking activities you can try.  It is NEVER to be attempted indoors for several reasons: 

  1. First, the stove in most home kitchens is not sufficient to heat the oil to the needed temperature quickly enough, even if it is large enough to accommodate the size pot required to cook a turkey. 
  2.  
  3. Second, placing the turkey into the hot oil and removing it when it’s done is certain to splash and drip hot oil, no matter how careful you are. 
  4.  
  5. Third, smoke.  Heating several gallons of oil to 350/400° is guaranteed to create a lot of smoke, which will set off the smoke alarms in most modern homes.

 

 

Here’s what you need to deep-fry a turkey.

 

  1. An outdoor spot that is sheltered from wind.  (If your spot is on a surface that you care about, take extra precautions to keep the oil from splashing. I have a 4’ diameter piece of ½” plywood which I cover with several layers of newspaper to place the cooker on.  If you don’t have a cooker which raises the flame at least 18”, use a non flammable covering to protect the surface from the flame and spilled hot oil.)

 

  1. A pot (typically a "stockpot") large enough to hold enough oil (see FAQ) to completely submerge the size turkey you want to cook.

 

  1. A burner to bring the oil quickly to 350-360° and controls to let you keep the temperature in that range. (A good Cajun cooker burner should be able to bring 5 gallons of oil to proper temperature in 30 minutes or less) and return it to that temp within about 3-5 minutes of putting the turkey in.

 

  1. A long-stem cooking thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil.

 

  1. Some way (besides your hands) to lower the turkey into the hot oil and to remove it when done.

 

  1. A large platter or pan lined with several thicknesses of paper bags to drain the turkey once its fried.

 

  1. A fire extinguisher. (you can never be too careful!)

 

I highly recommend that you not attempt to do this alone.  Another set of hands always comes in handy.

 

For many years, I cooked turkeys in the same stockpot I used for boiling shrimp, crawfish and crabs.  I used the basket that comes with these large pots (40-60 quarts) to lower the turkey into the oil and to remove it when done.  This is fine, and you can cook a bigger turkey in one of these pots, but you will also need a LOT more oil to immerse the turkey.  And, if you cook a bird over 15 pounds, you will definitely want to have some help putting the turkey in and taking it out.

 

A few years ago, encouraged by the growing popularity of turkey frying, some companies starting making some especially designed equipment to make it a bit easier to fry a small to medium size turkey.  The burner is typically propane and is rated at about 170,000BTU.  Such a burner will bring 10 gallons to a roiling boil in less than half an hour.  You can use the same burner with a different pot for trying some other Cajun favorites, too.

 

The pot sold for frying turkey is the key.  It is much taller, skinnier, and usually made of much thicker aluminum than a typical ‘boiling’ pot, so that you can submerge the turkey and use much less oil (my pot is 28-quarts).  The drawback is that a 14-pound turkey is about the largest bird you can fit into one of these pots.  These pots come with a special stand that you run thru the turkey and support the turkey in an upright position in the pot.  It also provides a handy hook for raising and lowering the bird in the pot.  You can find one of these “turkey-frying” packages at many local ‘home’ stores such as Sam’s, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc. or you can find them on the Internet.  Here’s the URL for one that includes everything:  burner, pot, thermometer, injector, rack and lifter for under $100.

 

http://turkey-fryer.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/page1.html

 

In fact, if you search the Internet, you will find hundreds and hundreds of sites with recipes for frying a turkey or sites that will ship you a fried turkey, ready to heat and eat. These sites charge between $40 and $80 per turkey.  I’ve never tried one, but it might be a good way to find out if you really want to invest in the equipment needed to cook your own.  Here’s such a site:

http://cajunmarket.com/Cajun-Deep-Fried-Turkey/index.htm

 

Okay.  That’s the equipment you’ll need, now how to cook the turkey?

 

First, pick an 8-14 lb. turkey. (Keep in mind that for less than 12 lbs. you can figure 2 ½ minutes per pound.  12 lbs. and larger, use 3 minutes per pound as a rule of thumb.)  I look for 10-12 lb birds.  Giant has them on sale this year for 37 cents/lb.!  You can use a ‘pre-basted’ turkey if you can’t find one that isn’t, but they are usually more expensive and the pre-injected basting will not add anything to your fried turkey, because you are going to inject your own seasoning.

 

The day before you want to cook it, thaw your turkey completely.  It is extremely difficult to inject a frozen turkey, believe me!

If your turkey comes with a metal prong that holds the cavity closed, remove and set it aside. Place the turkey in a large pan.  Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey.  If your turkey comes with a plastic "pop-up" doneness indicator, be sure to remove and discard that, too.

There are a zillion ways you can season this with the injector -- some folks like using the liquid seafood boil seasoning, but there are as many different ways as there are turkey fryers.  For instance, one recipe I’ve seen calls for one bottle of liquid garlic juice, one bottle of Tiger Sauce, one bottle of Cajun Sunshine sauce, and two tablespoons of red pepper.  Try anything you like.  Your mileage may vary.

This is what I have settled on over the years:

 

1 – 12 oz can of beer (your choice, but let it go flat)

2 tbs – Tabasco sauce

4 tbs – Cajun seasoning. (Tony Chachere’s or Zatarain’s)

½ cup – lemon juice

 

Mix the ingredients well in a container that you can fill your injector from.  (TIP: fill the injector before you put the needle in.  It will be easier to get the last of the marinade into the injector)

Start with the legs and wings.  Insert to the bone or to the depth of the injector needle, without piercing through to the cavity. To fill the injection hole with the marinade as much as possible, from bone to surface of bird, begin to draw the needle out as you inject the marinade. Make holes about 2 inches apart and use most of the marinade in the meatiest areas; be sure to inject some of the marinade in the upper joint of the wing, too. Pour any remaining marinade (the part that won't go through the injector) into the cavity of the turkey and rub it over the inner surface.  If you like your food spicier, sprinkle the Chachere’s or Zatarain’s all over the turkey and rub it in well. Cover the turkey (in a large, covered pan or wrap in foil) and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

About 2 hours (or more) before you want to eat, heat the oil and cook the turkey, allowing a half hour to cool before serving.  The fried turkey will look very dark brown when done.  Don't be afraid that is has burned; this is the right color.  Carve as you normally do and serve immediately.

Be prepared to enjoy the most succulent, moist turkey you have ever tasted!!!

 

 

Turkey Frying FAQ

 

Q. What is an injector?

 

A. An injector is a big syringe.  In fact, before I found out that they made ‘injectors’, I bummed syringes from     my friendly local veterinarian.  The problem was that the needles typically were designed to inject out the end.  Cooking injectors have a specially designed needle with 2 openings on the end that open out to the side, rather than out the end of the needle.

 

Q.  Why peanut oil?

 

A.  Peanut oil can be heated to higher temperatures without smoking excessively.  It is also less likely to flame than animal fat oil AND it is healthier than animal fat oils.

 

Q.  Where can I get  5 gallons of peanut oil?

 

A.  Well, that’s a good question.  Typically, most grocery stores only carry peanut oil in 16 or 32 ounce containers.  If you have a Sam’s or Wal-Mart in your area, you can usually find bulk containers of peanut oil there.  5 gallons of oil is about 17.5 pounds and the large containers are usually marked in pounds, rather than gallons.

 

Q.  How do I know how much oil I need?

 

A.  What I do is put the turkey in the cooking pot and fill it with water until an inch or two covers it.  I then take the turkey out of the water and make a mark with a scratch awl or other sharp point at the water line.  This gives me a mark when I’m ready to heat the oil.

 

This is what the pot looks like just after you put the turkey in…

 

Q. Can I reuse the oil?

 

A.  The oil may be strained to remove food particles and reused. It may also be disposed of with regular garbage.

 

Q. Can I use the propane tank from my grill with the burner?

 

A. Yep.  The fittings are identical.

 

 

If you like to mix up your own seasoning here are some samples to help you get started:

SEASONING MIX 1:

2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons Ground Hot Pepper Vinegar, peppers only
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup Basic Turkey or Chicken stock
2 tablespoons Worchester sauce

SEASONING MIX 2:
 
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
3 (2 oz.) bottles garlic juice
3 (2 oz.) bottles onion juice
1 (3 oz.) bottle hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup Creole Seasoning
8 ounces water